This book presents the accumulated data and current state of geological knowledge on China’s main shale gas fields. It addresses a broad range of topics, including the geological setting, reference sections and published boreholes, lithostratigraphy, biostratigraphy and chronostratigraphy, sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy of the late Ordovician to early Silurian, spatial and temporal distribution patterns and environmental changes in the black shales of the Wufeng and Lungmachi formations, numerical analysis of the Wufengian and Lungmachian Total Organic Carbon (TOC), late Ordovician to early Silurian bentonites of the Yangtze region, and a graptolite atlas of the Wufeng and Lungmachi formations. Given its scope, the book represents a valuable asset for researchers and petroleum engineers alike.

This volume focuses on the broad pattern of increasing biodiversity through time, and recurrent events of minor and major ecosphere reorganization. Intense scrutiny is devoted to the pattern of physical (including isotopic), sedimentary and biotic circumstances through the time intervals during which life crises occurred. These events affected terrestrial, lacustrine and estuarine ecosystems, locally and globally, but have affected continental shelf ecosystems and even deep ocean ecosystems. The pattern of these events is the backdrop against which modelling the pattern of future environmental change needs to be evaluated.

Presents information from the primary abiotic forces defining the system, and from the present hydrology, biogeochemistry and physics of major sites of organic carbon production of the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Additionally, research on the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the dry valley soils is included. The role of environmental management in long-term ecological studies is also addressed. The accompanying CDROM provides details and scale to visualize the McMurdo Dry Valleys from an ecosystem perspective.

A to Z of Earth Scientists, Updated Edition is a comprehensive A to Z reference of Earth scientists in areas including plate tectonics, climate change, and planetary science. Designed for high school through early college students, this is an ideal reference of notable Earth scientists from the 19th century to the present. Featuring nearly 200 entries and 100 black-and-white photographs, this title uses the device of biography in order to put a human face on science—a method that adds immediacy to the prose for the high school student who may have an interest in pursuing a career in the earth sciences. People covered include: James Hutton (1726–1797) William Smith (1769–1839) Charles Lyell (1797–1875) Mary Anning (1799–1847) Inge Lehmann (1888–1993) Walter Alvarez (1911–1988) Doris Malkin Curtis (1914–1991) Marie Tharp (1920–2006) David Keeling (1928–2005) Dawn Wright (1961–present)